Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user wearable location devices and GPS systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a child locator device in which one or more children can be monitored in a given area, wherein a means of determining whether the locator device on the child has been removed is further provided. A reusable embodiment is provided in the form of a wristband, along with a single-use embodiment that contemplates an assembly packaged in an adhesable, disposable structure to be applied to the wearer's skin.
When traveling in groups with children, for instance on a field trip or while on vacation, it can be difficult to keep track of the entire group at all times. Parents, supervisors and teachers must navigate to a desired destination and maintain the trip schedule while remaining in contact with the entire group to prevent any of the children from wandering away or becoming lost. If a child is separated from the group, they can easily become lost or be exposed to strangers, which can be potentially dangerous. For younger children, this is especially true. When younger children are traveling in a group, the group generally stays very close to one another whereby the supervisor or lead parent can maintain visual contact with the children at all times.
However, for older children and young teenagers, many times group trips involve being spread out over a greater area, and the children are not confined to remaining in a singular group under direct supervision from a parent or teacher. This is typical of most middle school or high school trips to museums, for family trips to amusement parks, and similar group trips involving older children. Tracking children of this age who are not necessarily required to stay in a small group is a particular challenge, and of particular concern to the present invention. Without a means to monitor each child's whereabouts, a member of the group can easily become lost or exposed to abduction, whereby the parent or supervisor of the overall group has little control over the situation and is unable to immediately locate each individual of the group when required.
A further concern of the present invention is coordinating group functions while on a trip. Generally for older groups, the parent or teacher will set a schedule in which the group must reconvene and meet at a given time and place. The group can spread out over the area, but must return to a common meeting ground at a specified time. It is not unusual for some group members to become unaccounted for or be late to such coordinated meeting times. Therefore, a means of not only locating a child, but also sending alerts or return signals to the group members is desired. The present invention addresses both of these functions with a wearable locator device with a location means therein, and a means to send a signal from the group coordinator to each wearable locator device to reconvene.
A final concern of the present invention relates to worst case scenarios for those in group trips—abduction or becoming inadvertently lost. The present invention contemplates a means of monitoring the wearable locator device itself with a means of identifying when the monitoring device has been removed from the wearer's body. Embodiments of this include a body temperature sensor and a frangible circuit that is broken when removed from the wearer's skin. Overall, the goal is to alert a supervisor or parent when the wearable locator device has been tampered with or completely removed, whereby a signal is generated when the child locator device is no longer transponding a signal or when the system detects the device is no longer being worn by the wearer.
The present invention contemplates two primary embodiments that are capable of tracking the location of a wearer and sending a signal to an administrator. These include a reusable wristband embodiment that houses the necessary circuit and location transponder means therein, as well as a single-use, adhesable embodiment worn directly on the skin of a wearer. The latter embodiment contemplates an adhesable bandage type structure with the necessary circuit and location transponder means therein. Both embodiments register whether the device is being physically worn while deployed, and is adapted to recognize or be recognized by an administrator when removal from the wearer is registered. The overall goal is to prevent children on group trips from becoming lost or abducted, wherein the supervisor for the group has an immediate means of locating each member of the group. Further provided is a means for the system to broadcast a signal to each wearable device, whereby the signal corresponds with a notice to reconvene at a predetermined location.
Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to GPS devices and locators. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications, and generally relate to wearable locator devices that fail to recognize when the device is actually being worn by the wearer, and those that disclose structures diverging in characteristics from the present invention. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
One such device of the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 7,564,405 to Durst, which discloses an object locator system to obtain the location of an individual or animal wearing a locator device, wherein a two-way paging system and GPS system are utilized. The system is contemplated for lost pets and the like, wherein the system ideally activates when the animal or wearer strays from a given area to conserve battery power. The system utilizes a mobile communications unit to send location data from the device to a base station for interpretation by a human user. The Durst device, while providing a wearable positioning system, fails to contemplate the means in which the present invention is deployed and a means to detect when the wearable locator is removed from the wearer. The present invention contemplates two wearable embodiments, along with a wearer contact means to determine if the device has been removed from the wearer.
Another device is U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0182145 to Jameson, disclosing an animal tracking system that locates an animal and then tracks its location for a user to visualize and to determine where the animal is currently traveling. The system comprises a first GPS device on the animal, which transmits data to a second device. The second device can determine the orientation of the first device relative to the first, and further includes a display unit to display a graphical representation indicating the location and direction of the first device relative to the second. The Jameson device is contemplated for tracking pets and animals; however it fails to notify the user when the device worn by the animal is removed from the animal. Moreover, the Jameson device fails to contemplate the use or specific structure deployed in the child locator system of the present invention.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0289785 to Leonard discloses a tracking system for individuals, pets, or possessions that includes a GPS transmitter that is adhesively joined to the wearer or possession. The transmitter is capable of transmitting a tracking signal to a GPS receiver that can track the location of the transmitter and display its position on a map display. The transmitter is adapted to be attached to the body surface of the item or person being tracked. An activation button on the patch allows a user to activate the transmitter in the event of an emergency. The Leonard system provides for a similar structure as that of the present invention, wherein a temporary or single-use patch is provided. However, Leonard provides no means of determining if the patch has been removed from the wearer or tampered with. The present invention utilizes a wearer contact means that continually registers the user or ceases operation upon being tampered with. Embodiments include a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and a frangible adhesive that registers when the device is removed from the wearer.
Finally, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0069891 to Wallace discloses a receiver unit and a child locator system that utilizes a transmitter to activate an audible signal on the receiver such that a parent or guardian can locate the child when in audible range. The receiver includes a microcontroller, a receiver antenna, a power source, and a transformer unit. The system comprises a transmitter that allows a parent to send a signal to actuate a receiver unit, whereby the receiver unit provides an alarm in response to the transmission of the signal from the transmitter on the child. The Wallace system, while useful for locating children, provides an audible location means rather than a location tracking means that can be used beyond audible range. The present invention contemplates a device that utilizes ground based GPS and a means of tracking the exact location across greater distances, along with unique structure suitable for executing the system, supported by the wearer and capable of recognizing when the device is removed or tampered.
It is submitted the present invention provides a locator system and specific device that diverges in elements from the prior art, and consequently it is an existing need in the art for child locator devices that allow an administrator to track a plurality of children across wide areas using a common terminal and wearable locator devices that register the device is being actively worn. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.